Russia Seeks To Rekindle ‘Spirit of Alaska’ As Tensions Resurface With U.S.

Two months after Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin shared a seemingly cordial handshake at a military base in Alaska — a moment widely viewed as the start of a thaw in U.S.-Russia relations — Moscow now appears uncertain whether the so-called “spirit of Alaska” endures.

For Russia, the Anchorage summit on August 15 carried dual objectives: persuading President Trump to press Ukraine and European allies toward a peace deal favourable to Moscow, and reviving the broader framework of U.S.-Russia rapprochement that had briefly appeared within reach.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said this week there had been scant progress on either front and “powerful momentum” had been lost. Moscow had signalled it was ready to rebuild ties but Washington had not reciprocated, he said.